Self-counting tally slips, sheets and cards. Simplifies counting. 
No addition necessary. Indispensable when a 
quick count is desired. 

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THE 

STATISTICAL RECORDER 

AND 

Easy Reckoner. 


An easy and quick method of counting votes. Cheap, but accurate. 
The result can be known at any stage of the count. No 
recount necessary. Every error detects itself. 












Class_ JK ^ n *t 

Rnolc , K 4 _ 

Copyright }! 0 _ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



























THE 


STATISTICAL RECORDER 


AND 



Reckoner 


FOR 


RETURNING OFFICERS. 


A System of Alphabetical and Numerical Tabulation by Figures, 
Letters or Characters, Printed on Slips or Sheets, Whereby 
the Results of Statistical Inquiries can be Tabulated 
and Known at any Stage of an Election, Investi¬ 
gation or Inquiry, Applicable to Commercial, 

Industrial or Governmental Purposes 
for which Figures and Tabula¬ 
tions are Required. 




By EDWARD J. KEAN, 

n 

Chief Clerk of the New York Bureau of Statistics of Labor. 


ALBANY: 

JAMES B. LYON, STATE PRINTER. 
1890. 





T 1^2. \1 4- 
K 4- 


COPYKIGHTED 1889. 

Patent Appliep foe. 



KEAN’S 


Self-counting 
Cards and 


Tally Slips, 
Sheets. 


[Copyrighted 1889. Patent Applied for.] 


This simple and cheap device for rapidly and accurately securing* 
the results of elections for offices of all kinds, and counting the 
“ yeas ” and “ nays ” in legislative and other bodies, and for tabu¬ 
lating and compiling statistics, consists in placing one hundred or 
more successive numbers on one, five, ten or more small slips, 
running from left to right, or perpendicularly. They can be placed 
in blocks of five or ten. The first slip contains all numbers from 
1 to 100 inclusive, the second 101 to 200, the third 201 to 300, the 
fourth 301 to 400, the fifth 401 to 500, the sixth 501 to 600, the 
seventh 601 to 700, the eighth from 701 to 800, the ninth 801 to 900, 
and the tenth from 901 to 1,000. In the same way every number 
from 1 to 10,000, or 1 to 100,000, or 1 to 1,000,000 can be covered by 
slight variations in the size of the type and slips or sheets. All 
that need be done is to reduce the size of the type and continue 
in the manner above described and it will be found that the type 
need not again be reduced until 10,000 is reached, when by again 
reducing the type 100,000 can be covered. If preferred, no change 
in the type or slip used need be made, as the higher totals can be 
secured by writing “ 1,000 and ” or “ 2,000 and ” on the head of each 
slip and continue tallying or marking; should the marking cease 
at 117, and “ 1,000 and” appeared at the head of the slip, the total 
would be 1,117; if at 627 and the line on the head contained “ 2,000 
and ” the total would be 2,627. It is just as easy to count 10,000, 
or 100,000, or 1,000,000. 

The slips above described are placed in a pile or pad with the 
sheet ending in 1,000 or a higher number on the bottom; this is 
covered by the sheet ending in 900 and so on in turn until the sheet 
ending in 100 is in its position on top of the pile or pad. 




4 


When it is desired to secure the result of an election or count 
returns of any kind, as many of these piles are made as there are 
candidates for the office voted for, or divisions of the subject, with 
the name of the candidate, office and location, number of the ward 
and the district, or other classification, written or printed on the head 
of each slip, and the slips secured on a board or heavy paste board 
by paper fasteners, or a rubber cord running over and under. 
Thirty names of candidates or census heads, or divisions of indus¬ 
try or other matters or subjects to be counted and tabulated can be 
placed on a board 19 by 28 inches. The size of the slip, with small 
pica figures, is 1^ by 6^ inches, but can be made smaller. When 
agate type is used the counting or enumerating capacity is doubled, 
and no increase in the size of the slip is necessary. If the names 
of the candidates or divisions of the matter to be counted and tabu¬ 
lated are placed in alphabetical order, it will facilitate the work. 
As soon as the slips are placed in the position described, the count¬ 
ing and tabulating can begin. One clerk calls off the name of a 
person voted for or the division or subdivision of a subject to be 
tabulated or counted, and another clerk draws a stroke over the 
face of the figure 1 (thus on the pile headed with that persons’ 
name or the term used for a division or classification of statistical 
matter; should the name or term be the next called, he draws another 
stroke in the same manner over the figure 2 (thus ^ One clerk can 
do the work; but the liability to error is lessened when two are 
employed. 

When a new name or term is called the slip bearing it is treated in 
like manner, and the process is continued until the last ticket, ballot 
or blank or schedule is reached, when it will be found that the last 
number crossed on each slip is the total number of votes cast for 
the person whose name it bears or the total number of answers to a 
given question. When the last name on the ticket or ballot is 
called, the total for every candidate, whether there be five, ten, fifty 
or even 100 names, can be announced; all that it is necessary to do is 
to glance at the list and copy the result. The last number crossed on 
a pile with a candidate’s name must be the total for that candidate. 

As each slip is filled it is removed and the tally and counting pro¬ 
ceeded with, as the next sheet beginning with 101, will continue to 
faithfully and accurately count the vote or answer and give the 
total. If it exceeds the number on the slip or sheet beginning with 
101, the total will be found on the next beginning with 201, which 


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5 


shows as soon as the slip beginning with 101 is 'removed, this pro¬ 
cess continued will give totals up to and including 1,000 for each 
candidate or answer. If the totals to be recorded are larger, simply 
make a new pile as explained at the beginning, and write at the head 
in the left hand corner “ 1,000 and ” or “ 10,000 and ” or “ 100,000 and ” 
as the exigencies of the occasion may require. It is not absolutely 
necessary to have sheets numbered with more than 100 numbers as 
the marking of the second sheet and succeeding sheets with the 
words “ second sheet,” “ third sheet,” etc., will give the total. The 
other method is the best, however, as the cost will be very slight 
and the high numbered sheets need not be wasted as they can be 
covered and used for any purpose for which large totals are required. 
When the total vote can be approximated slips numbered slightly in 
excess to cover the totals can be secured in advance and prepared for 
the counting. 

For use in Legislative bodies. 

In legislative and other bodies where the representation is fixed 
by law, the slips can be numbered in duplicate form up to the 
total number of representatives and headed “Yeas” and “Nays.” 

Thus in the Assembly of the State of New York the representa¬ 
tion is fixed by law at 128. In such a case number the tally sheets 
from 1 to 128, and head one “ Yeas ” and the other “ Nays.” Then 
as the members’ names are called off and the responses made the 
figures can be crossed as the answers are given, and when the last- 
name is called the vote is known and the result announced almost 
in the same breath. As an assistant clerk is generally employed 
to “ keep tally,” the proposed system will entail no extra expense 
and will greatly facilitate the work, especially during the last weeks 
of a session when the “ yeas ” and “ nays ” are called many times a 
cay. 

In Statistical Bureaus and Departments. 

For statistical matter the slips can be used in a variety of ways, 
and the matter tabulated directly from the blank form or schedule 
without the intermediary of punched cards (a device necessary in 
a mechanical counter). In industrial and vital statistics the totals 
of answers to questions can be secured by placing a letter or 
character on the blank or schedule containing the answers returned, 
and then affixing corresponding letters or characters to the slips 
and placing the piles thus marked on a board and crossing off a 
number on the slip bearing the letter or character called. In many 


6 


cases the answers can be tabulated and counted without any 
recourse to the use of signs by simply writing the answers on the 
slips. The matter is thus promptly and accurately counted and 
tabulated and the totals known as soon as the last blank is read. 
The blanks can be counted from day to day or hour by hour as they 
are returned by mail or by the enumerator of the department, and 
filed oi placed in bulk as room permits. Much economy of office 
space and time is thus secured. When answers are few the older 
and simpler methods will be found to answer all purposes; but 
when the answers to a given question exceed five, it will be found 
that the system of giving a sign to each group of questions or 
writing the answers on the slip and then tabulating and counting 
the signs or answers, is the cheapest and best. If the answers to 
two questions do not exceed thirty they can be counted and tabu¬ 
lated at the same time on a board nineteen by twenty-eight inches. 
If they are more an extra board can be called into service and the 
work greatly progressed. If this plan is adopted it will be found 
that thousands of blanks can be handled each day and no greater 
space required than an ordinary office table or desk, as the blanks 
can be picked from any sized pile and read off and placed in another 
pile and the process repeated until the last question is tabulated and 
counted, and the work will be performed as rapidly and accurately 
as by machinery. 

For use in Libraries. 

For keeping a record of the number of books in the several 
divisions of a library they will be found to be invaluable. On a 
given day an inventory can be made; the number of books under each 
classification can be crossed off, and, whenever a new book is added 
to the collection, a mark is made on the next following figure or 
combination of figures. The total number of volumes in any 
department of literature in the library, and as a consequence the 
total number of volumes in the institution, can be ascertained at 
any moment and with a greater degree of accuracy than can be 
secured in any other way. Even the number added each month 
or year can be made known by simply drawing a line around the 
numbers crossed off in January and writing the word January over 
the face of the figures erased; as the numbers are placed in blocks 
of fives or tens, count the fives or tens and add the singles or units 
and the result is reached. In like manner a record of the books 
loaned and returned, or read and referred to in the rooms, can be 
secured. (See Fig. 2). 





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7 


Counting a Census. 

A census for a town, city, state or country can be quickly, cheaply 
and accurately counted by this system. If, for example, it is desired 
to secure the number of persons of a given age in a community, place 
a sign, letter or character on each blank or schedule and mark the slip 
accordingly. Thus if it is essential to know how many persons 
there are between the ages of 1 and 5, or 5 and 10, or 10 and 15, or 
15 and 20 and so on, each one of these divisions can be lettered and 
the result quickly obtained. The same course can be pursued when 
the nationality and sexes of the inhabitants are desired. These and 
other answers can be tabulated and counted at one time. The 
answers relative to place of birth need not be marked with signs, 
as the placing of the name of the country on the slip in alphabetical 
order will fill all requirements. 

The division of ages from 1 to 100, inclusive, can be secured by 
attaching 100 piles of the small slips on boards which can be shifted 
to reach the eye or by using a revolving barrel. 

For the purposes of trade and commerce. 

For the purposes of trade and commerce the uses of the slips or 
sheets are too numerous to mention. The manner in which this 
system may be applied will readily suggest itself to any one who has 
been compelled to use the old method of tallying, counting and 
tabulating. 

It is applicable to any statistical condition in which numeration 
and classification are desirable. 




The Application of the New Method of Counting 
to the New System of Voting. 


The provisions of the new law regulating the casting of votes will 
make the work of counting them doubly arduous. If they are 
counted by the old methods the labor will be prolonged to a late 
hour of the evening, and in some cities and towns the count will not 
be completed until late the next day. Although the law in this 
State (New York) limits the number of voters in each election 
district to 300, in many cases this limitation will prove ineffective, 
as no arbitrary decision can apply in certain localities. 

These new tally slips or sheets are designed to aid and facilitate 
the work of counting the votes cast at any election where an early 
decision of the result is both desirable and necessary. The result is 
reached by a very simple process, which, briefly stated, is as follows: 

Figures from 1 to 400, inclusive, are placed in blocks of fives or 
tens on slips containing 100 numbers, with the slip beginning with 
1 and ending with 100 covering the slip beginning with 101 and 
ending with 200, and the latter covering the slip beginning with 201 
and ending with 300, and the sheet beginning with 301 and ending 
with 400. These can be continued. Or the numbers can be printed 
in blocks of five or ten, and the sections containing 100 numbers 
each placed in their order one over the other, or printed in their 
order across the sheet. By the latter arrangement the separation 
of the slips is avoided; by the former a larger number of candi¬ 
dates can be counted, as greater economy of space is secured, the 
amount of paper consumed is lessened, there being practically no 
waste, as the unused slips can be covered by the lower numbers, 
and the eye does not travel over so much ground. Other arrange¬ 
ments can be made, however, and changes will naturally suggest 
themselves after an examination of the general plan. 

The candidates’ name, office and dotted lines for the insertion of 
the numbers of the ward, election and assembly districts can be 
written or printed on a line or lines over the numbers or on the left- 
hand side of them; space can also be reserved for blank and defective 
votes. 




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9 


The name of the candidate can be printed on the left-hand 
margin of the sheet, together with the words “ Election District ” 
and “Assembly District,” and a dotted line for the insertion of the 
number representing each. The names of all the candidates for a 
given office should be placed in order, and the ballot counted at 
one handling; that is, the names voted should be read off and 
checked off on the tally-sheet as they appear on the ticket. If 
they are placed in alphabetical order the work is greatly simplified 
and quickly performed. When there are a number of straight 
votes, they can be marked by drawing a line over the figures 
up to and including the number received by each candidate. 
When the name is again called the marking can be made as 
described above. 

Figures 3 and 4 show how the result is reached. 

Figures 5 and 6 show how fives and tens and singles can be counted 
at the same time. 


2 



io 


Where it is necessary or desirable to obtain the vote for a givefi 
office first, say mayor, if there are five candidates, five rows of 
figures, with the candidates’ names on the margin or across 
the sheet, as described above, can be prepared. The same 
course can be pursued for every other division of the ticket. 
Space can be left for the total number of votes cast for the 
office and blank and defective votes for the same and lines 
for the signatures of the poll-clerks, should it be deemed necessary 
to sign the result for each office. Should this not be necessary the 
names of the candidates for the next office can follow in the order 
described for the first and so on until the last is reached; the back 
of the paper can be utilized for the totals and signatures of the 
poll-clerks. 

After the tickets are taken out of the box and the total number 
of votes ascertained the counting can begin. The process of count¬ 
ing consists in erasing or drawing a mark. or line across a figure or 
combination of figures as the candidate’s name is read or called off. 
Should there be a number of straight ballots a line can be drawn 
over the face of the figures up to and including the number on each 
section of the sheet containing the candidates’ names who received 
the straight ballots. To illustrate, if on the Democratic ticket there 
were fourteen names and there were 113 straight tickets, 113 on 
each of the 14 rows of figures opposite or under the names of the 
candidates on the sheet could be erased and a line drawn through 
the preceding figures. This result can be reached in a few min¬ 
utes. When any of the names again appeared a tally-mark could 
be made over the next figures, and so on until the final result had 
been reached when the total vote for each candidate would be 
known without any addition. If Smith has received 127 votes a 
stroke or tally-mark will appear on the face of the figures, thus 
l^f; so, too, if Brown receives 236 votes, a stroke or tally-mark 
will appear over the figures, thus 

The vote of an entire district can be counted and the ballots need 
be handled but once, by taking up the ballot on the top of a pile 
and reading off the names of the candidates from top to bottom 
and the clerk erasing a number in the candidates’ row, as the name 
is called off. If the count is made by divisions the tickets would 
have to be handled as many times as there were divisions of city, 
county, State and national offices on it. This would prolong the 
count, but not to any great extent. The only danger would be that 


11 


the increased handling would be likely to soil and tear the ticket, 
and the mutilation become so great at or near the close as to make 
it a defective ballot. The separation of the count into divisions 
would also make it necessary for the poll clerks to sign each division 
of offices, which, while it would not effect the usefulness and general 
character of the new system of counting, would delay the announce¬ 
ment of the final result, although it would give to the officials in 
charge of the elections and the press the result of the count in detail. 

It will be seen that the totals can be obtained at any time during 
the process of counting and that they are ready for copying into 
tabular form as soon as the last ticket is called off. While the 
superiority of this method of tallying and counting over the present 
one is not quickly appreciated, its superior advantages for counting 
under the new system of voting will be at once recognized when it 
is remembered that the candidates’ names, of each party, are placed 
on one ticket. 

There will be fewer “ straight tickets ” in the sense in which the 
term has been used for counting purposes and the need of the self¬ 
counting tally slips or some other easy, simple and economical 
method of quickly obtaining the results of an election or enumera¬ 
tion becomes apparent. These slips can be used by the candidate 
himself or any of his friends who are acting as watchers and will be 
found very valuable in local elections, as the result of each division 
of a ward or assembly or senatorial district can be quickly carried 
to the candidates’ headquarters. 

The advantages of this system of counting are manifold. Prin¬ 
cipal among them are these : 

No addition of figures is necessary. 

The cost of paper and printing is reduced to a minimum. 

Economy of space in the room, or quarters used, and the tables 
devoted to counting is secured. 

Mutilation of the ballots is avoided by reducing the number of 
times a ballot need be handled. 

There is less liability to error and omission. 

The result is reached much quicker. 

The number of clerks need not be increased, which is a considera¬ 
tion to be thought of if the old system of counting is adhered to. 

Indeed, it is almost impossible to say what will be the difficulties 
and expense attached to the old method of counting when applied 
to the new system of voting, or how long it will take to count the 


12 



vote of a large city, when that vote is polled under the provisions 
of the new law. 

With the use of the new system which I present to your notice it 
is safe to say that, granting a reasonable amount of intelligence and 
care on the part of the clerks and officials in charge, the vote of an 
average election district can be counted and the result announced in 
one-fourth the time, or even less, consumed by the old method. If 
there should prove to be as large a number of straight tickets as 
formerly the time would be decreased in proportion. 


The following is an extract from the Albany Argus of Friday, 
June 27, 1890, the day following the trial of the new system at an 
election of a local society: 

“Another feature of the election was the introduction of a new 
registering and tabulating system, invented by Edward J. Kean, of 
this city. At the election last evening it worked with perfect satis¬ 
faction and proved a great improvement over the tedious system in 
general use.” 

[The number of votes cast was 397; the number of candidates, 
22; time of counting, 1 hour and 10 minutes. The number of 
votes the year previous was 314 ; the number of candidates, 22; 
time of counting, 4 hours and 20 minutes. There was much scratching 
and pasting. 


LBJL ’05 










LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 









